Saturday, March 21, 2009

For the most part I've always felt anyone going to sea in his own boat should be able to take care of themselves. A well found boat and the skill to use it, maintain it and get out of trouble when needful are very much what it is all about. EPIRB's by their very nature set up a whole chain of events when you set them off and not all of them are positive.

Search and rescue is a dangerous business and when an EPIRB goes off somewhere you are putting those whose job it is to get us out of trouble into a situation where in coming to help you they may very well be in danger or harms way.

That said there are times when it is needful to ask for help... EPIRB's are the most effective way to say HELP but they have always been an ALL or Nothing sort of message. No means of saying I just need a "little" help... I'd hate to scramble a bunch of C-130's because I needed a couple of gallons of fuel! Sadly such "Rescues" are not that uncommon...

SPOT which is NOT an EPIRB or a Marine unit but a "Personal Location Beacon" which allows for limited message giving such as "I'm OK", "I need Help" is a step in the right direction but still not what I'd really like to have and it most certainly does not replace the purpose of an EPIRB.

Over the last few months I have been keeping track of quite a few people using Globalstar SPOT's and to a man they are all very happy with their units and find them both effective and trouble free. A great way to let the family know you are OK and allow them to track your whereabouts.

Currently Spot/Globalstar is giving them away free (we LIKE free) until March 27th SPOT special offer. You do have to do a yearly contract which you would have to do in any case, which makes it something of a no-brainer!